ironheart

Hi @jmc117 and @Psyhopeful! Thanks for your generous responses. I agree that these are all extremely competitive programs, but my interests are very specific (in a nutshell: the intersection of pop culture, media, and climate and environmental justice), and I'm looking for a school with a very strong film department that I can have access to as well, hence USC and NYU (USC in particular has a professor who does climate change communication whose work I'm very familiar with from my MPA). I do have time--I plan to start applying next year--but I am notoriously obsessive about applying to grad school (this was how I got in my first choice for my MPA with funding), which is why I thought I'd reach out to those already in the process, or have done it, to better detail my 20-month plan. Also, another question--who would you suggest I reach out to to write recommendation letters? I know some schools prefer that most recommenders be familiar with your academic background, some are fine with employers/supervisors if you've been out of school for a while. What are your thoughts? Thanks again for your time to respond and share your experiences with me!

Hi everyone! I'm very seriously considering applying for a PhD in Communications for 2021, which means I have a reasonable amount of time to prepare for next year's application season. As part of that preparation, I wanted to know if contacting POIs and visiting the schools is absolutely necessary? I've heard various things from different people, with some saying that it's a must, and others saying it's a no-no. I would like to think that it's program/field-specific, but would love to hear thoughts of people who've gone through the process. If it helps, I'm thinking of applying to the following schools USC Annenberg NYU UPenn Annenberg Cornell Thank you in advance for your advice!

Hi guys, been lurking in this forum for the past couple of days now just to see how everyone is doing. I'm currently a SIPA student, in the MPA-ESP program. When I requested for more funding, they doubled my financial aid. My understanding though is that the ESP program operates separately from the rest of SIPA. However, it doesn't hurt to try.

Good to hear this, @ArellaV! I know that the SIPA financial aid numbers can be discouraging, since the school is notorious for being stingy with funding, but it really doesn't hurt to ask for more. And there are a lot of opportunities in your second year to increase that funding even more with assistantships and paid internships.

Did anyone go to Admit Day? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Hi Arella, Indirect costs for SIPA seem to be fair for me, but this is assuming your rent is at a maximum $1200 per month (but if you're okay with living in the Columbia dorms, rent can be as low as $800 per month) and you get a Columbia dining plan. A subway card is $116.50 per month. Books can be a lot cheaper if bought used from Amazon (and SIPA students get free 6 months of Amazon Prime). While New York can be very expensive, it's also a city with some good and reasonably priced options if you know where to look As for debt, I'm sorry I can't help you with this, but consensus here on the forum seems to be not to take out more than 60k. SIPA has a lot of fellowship opportunities during the second year that can count as tuition waivers/discounts, so it would be great to look at those opportunities as well. Hope this helps!

From the newsletter: Applied for early decision last year for their MPA-ESP program. Good luck to you all!

FYI from Columbia SIPA

Hi guys, just went through my visa interview a couple of days ago. Questions were pretty simple—who was paying for my trip, what are my parents' occupation, what are my long term goals. The visa officer only asked for my mother's bank statements. Interview could not have lasted more than 5 minutes (waiting for my turn was much longer.

Hi @brittanyandrea! Have you factored in living expenses in the cost for Syracuse? It might turn out to be more expensive, since you'll have to move—unlike Brown, in which case you'll be staying with family.

Hi Nico! Pardee was one of my choices for my graduate studies. I was interested in their International Relations and Environmental Policy program. I visited the campus last July, met with their graduate admissions officer and the head of the IREP program. I was also given a tour of the campus by a current student in that program. I absolutely loved the city, the university, and the vibe. Yes, Pardee may be a new and up and coming international affairs school but I was extremely impressed and it was high on my list. I didn't move forward with my application because I got into my top choice on early decision, but I do recommend you apply and see where it takes you!

Good luck @Greene! Just keep positive and hope for the best. If all goes well with visa applications, will definitely be seeing you at orientation, @Kartopery!

Glad to have helped! They doubled my award as well!

I basically just sent an e-mail to the Assistant Director requesting for more, and they got back to me in about a month with the approval.

Thanks for the extensive breakdown of your ideas, @TakeruK! These are essentially what many of my friends studying in the US have said to me (I've had this discussion way too many times with way too many people, haha). My primary concern right now is getting to the US to study in my dream school (which many of my friends have told me, is enough to get me a student visa since it's an Ivy League school) and hopefully things will go smoothly if I start the visa process within the next two months.